Blocking-machine.



PATENTED SEPT. 5, 1905.

W. H. WEBB.

BLOCKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1904.

INIENTOR WlTNESSEb Q If/L/ @W WILLIAM H, WVEBB, OF LONGMONT, COLORADO.

BLOCKING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1905.

Application filed March 22, 1904. Serial No. 199,477-

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM H. WVEBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Longmont, in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Differential Beet-Blocker, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to blocking-machines, more particularly to such machines for blocking or spacing beets, vegetables, cotton, or broom-corn sown in rows by means of a revolving cutter on a shaft driven by the movement of the machine along such rows.

The objects of the invention are to simplify the structure of such machines and increase their efliciency of operation by providing means for raising and lowering the frame carrying the cutter, so that the latter may be adjusted at will, and in providing an improved form of revolving cutter.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter appear; and to these ends the invention consists of a blocking-machine for carrying out such objects embodying the features of construction, the combination of elements, and arrangement of parts having the general mode of operation substantially as hereinafter described and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred embodiment of the machine, and in which Figurel is a plan view of the machine. Fig. is a side elevational view, partly broken away to show interior parts. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the revolvingcutter removed from the machine. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of one end of the revolving cutter, showing the knife-blade in position; and Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the front end of the machine, showingthe caster-wheel and its connections. I

Referring to the drawings, 5 represents the main frame of the machine, which is suitably braced and strengthened,so as to form bearings for the various mechanisms hereinafter described. Toward the rear of this frame there is journaled therein a main axle 6, carrying at each end a driving-wheel 7, and to the rear of this axle is mounted a drivers seat 8. Journaled longitudinally of the frame in suitable cross-bars is a cutter-shaft 9, carrying on its rear end a bevel-gear 10, adapted to mesh with a bevel-gear 11, conveniently mounted on the axle 6. Axle 6 also carries a bevelgear 12 of different diameter than gear 11, which may be connected up to cutter-shaft 9 by any suitable means and which when in oper ation will allow of a different width blocking or spacing than that allowed by gear 11, thus allowing for differential blocking. The preferred form of mounting gears 11 and 12 so as to allow for differential blocking when geared up to pinion 10 is to mount them rigidly on sleeves 11 and 12 or cast such sleeves integral with said gears, as may be desired, which are preferably each slidably attached to the shaft 6 in any suitable manner, as by a long key seated in slots formed in the shaft and sleeves in the usual manner.

Gears 10 and 11 are placed in operative position by any suitable means, as a fork 13, engaging the collar on bevel-gear 10, which is mounted on the end of a lever 13, suitably pivoted to the frame 5, as at 14, which is moved through a link 15, attached to one end of an operating-lever 20, working on a toothed segment 21.

Pinion 10 and gear 12 are placed in operative position by first throwing back pinion 10 on its shaft 9 out of its engagement with gear 11 by means of lever and its connections, then shifting sleeve 12 by hand along shaft 6, which moves gear 12 bodily, a sufiicient movement bringingitin mesh with pinion 10, whose movement was such as to place it in proper meshing position.

On cutter-shaft 9 is mounted the shank or arm 16 of the cutter by means of a centrallyarranged bearing, as shown. On each end of this cutter-arm are stirrup-shaped frames 16, which have seated on the tread of each a flat knife-blade 17, which is formed with one end of greater Width than the other and is seated in said stirrups with its wider end toward the rear of the machine. This places the cutting edge on an angle with relation to the line of travel of the machine, which as the cutter-arm revolves allows the blade to take up this forward motion and cut cleanly.

In order to prevent dirt thrown up by the cutter from being thrown over onto an adjacent row, it has been found convenient to mount a fender on the machine on the side of the direction of rotation of the cutter. This fender may be of any suitable form; but it has been found convenient to make it in two parts-that is, an upper rigid part 23 and a lower flexible part which may be of any suitable material, as leather, and is made flexible, so that as the machine passes over inequalities of the ground the fender will be enabled to give and to prevent jars to the frame. hen

pinion 10 and gear 12 are connected in operal tive position, the direction of rotation of the cutter is reversed relative to the rotation obtained by driving its shaft through gear 11, and therefore when so connected the fender, to be effective, should be disconnected and bolted to the side of the machine opposite to that shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5 of the drawings.

At the forward end of the machine isa transversely-disposed bar 25, which is pivoted at one end, as at 26, to the under side of the frame. This bar also carries asuitable frame 27, in which is journaled a caster-wheel 28, and also attached to the bar and extending vertically above the wheel 28 is a stem 29, which is loosely secured at the front of frame 5 by any suitable means, as by passing through a pair of sleeves 30. To the opposite end of the bar 25 from that pivoted to the frame is pivotally secured a link 31, which in turn is pivoted to one of the arms of a bell-crank lever 32, which is pivotally mounted on the frame 5, as at 33, and to the other arm of this bell-crank lever there is pivoted a link 34, which in turn is attached to an operating-lever 35, working on a toothed segment 36 at the rear of the frame and near the drivers seat 8.

The machine is propelled by any suitable motive power, the present construction being provided with a pole 22, on each side of which may be harnessed horses in the usual manner.

The operation of the various parts is apparent. hen the machine moves, the rotation of axle 6 by means of the driving-wheels also rotates cutter-shaft 9 when gears 10 and 11 are brought together, and the beets or other crop are blocked by means of the knives 17, mounted on this revolving cutter. If it is found necessary to adjust the height of these knives above the ground, so as to regulate the depth of cut, or to raise the cutters entirely clear of the ground to pass over thin spots, this may be done either while the machine is at rest or in motion by a movement of lever 35 over its toothed segment 36. A movement of this lever communicates motion to hellcrank 32, which in turn forces link 31 downward and swings bar 25 on its pivoted end 26, thus forcing frame 5 upward.

Obviously some features of this invention may be used without others, and the same may be embodied in widely-varying forms. Therefore without limiting the invention to the construction shown and described nor enumerating equivalents the right is reserved to all such variations and modifications as properly fall within its scope and the terms of the following claims.

I claim 1. A movable differential blocking-machine comprising a revolving cutter and shaft therefor; a pinion on said shaft, a driving-shaft, different-sized gears slidably attached to said driving-shaft, and means for throwing said pinion into mesh with one of said drivinggears when the latter is moved into operative position, substantially as described.

2. A movable differential blocking-machine comprising a revolving cutter and shaft therefor, a pinion on said shaft, a driving-shaft, different-sized gears slidably attached to said driving-shaft, a forked lever operatively connected with said pinion and means for actuating said lever to bring said pinion into mesh with one of said driving-gears when the latter is moved into operative position, substantiall y as described.

3. A movabledifferential blocking-machine comprising a driving-shaft, two bevel gearwheels facing each other slidably mounted on said shaft, a revolving cutter and shaft therefor, a bevel-pinion on said cutter-shaft eX- tending between said bevel-gears, and means for throwing said pinion into mesh with one of said bevel-gears when the latter is moved into operative position, substantially as described.

at. In a movable blocking-machine, a suitable frame having a revolving cutter hung therein and driving-gear therefor, a guiding caster-wheel pivotally mounted on the forward end of the machine, a bell-crank lever, means connecting one end thereof with said caster-wheel, and rocking means connected to the other end thereof for adjusting the frame on said pivot with relation to said wheel, substantially as described.

5. In a movable blocking-machine, a suitable frame having a revolving cutter hung therein, and means for raising and lowering the frame to adjust the height of said cutter comprising a transverse bar provided with a caster-wheel journaled in a bearing thereon and a guiding-stem loosely secured to said frame mounted over the wheel, one end of said bar being pivoted to said frame and the other end connected to one arm of a bellcrank lever, and means connected to the other arm of said bell-crank for rocking the same, substantially as described.

6. In a movable blocking-machine, a suitable frame having a revolving cutter hung therein, a transverse bar pivoted at one end to theunder side of the front end of said frame, a link connected to one end of a bellcrank lever, pivoted to the other end of said bar, a lever connected to the other end of said bell-crank for rocking the same, a verticallyarranged stem on said bar, guides on said frame for said stem, and a caster-wheel journaled in a bearing on said bar below said stem, whereby a movement of the bell-crank will adjust the height of said cutter, substantially as described.

WILLIAM H. WVEBB.

Witness es J. \V. DENIO, RALPH DENIO. 

